1. What is a brand 2. Why should you rebrand 3. To keep in mind when rebranding 4. Great rebranding examples 5. About us
You saw this page and probably thought “Coca-Cola”. If you did, that’s because a brand goes beyond it’s logo
What is a BRAND?
There is a fundamental difference between the brand name (Coca-Cola), and the brand. Coca-Cola is the word associated with the product and company; everybody can see it, it is printed on the labels and it is emphasized on flyers and posters. The brand only exists in people’s perceptions and represents everything the public thinks about your product or service. It contains both informations - the product comes in a black box and has such and such characteristics, and emotions - it is romantic. So, the fact that the brand is only in the mind of the consumer means that what you think your brand is all about might not necessarily be what your customers think you’re all about - hence the Branding process.
What makes a good Brand? The logo and brand identity system cannot alter the quality of the product; instead, a well thought and designed identity will put the company in a position to maximise it’s potential and to connect with it’s customers. Often being the first connection between the company and the target audience, successful brand identies often are: - Simple and easy to recognize - we have positive reactions towards identities we can easily recall - Unique - to stand out among the hundreds of brand messages we are exposed to everyday - Timeless - unless they want to capitalize on the latest trend - Viable for a variety of media - we live in the era of convergence - Have hidden meaning - they tend to stick in mind longer
Why should you REBRAND?
In the increasingly saturated market, it is very hard nowadays to come forth with an original product or service. We all remember our first kiss, but not all of us remember our forth one. The brands that were the first on their area often became synonymous with their service or product - think Xerox, Scotch tape, Slinky, Kleenex, etc. So, if your business strives to create a perception in the mind of the customers that is already taken, or feels outdated, it is a good idea to present things from another point of view - one that you are the first one presenting. This is where Rebranding comes into place.
What questions to ask? In the rebranding history there have been more than a few examples that exceeded any expectations, in both ways. Some brands skyroketed following a successful change of brand identity, while others plummeted and were forced to make a second change or revert to the initial brand scheme. Before starting a rebranding process, you need to ask yourself several questions: - Why are we doing a rebrand? - What problem are we attempting to solve? - Has there been a change that is impacting our growth potential? - Are we stuck as something we have outgrown? - Is our brand associated with something that is no longer meaningful?
To keep in mind when REBRANDING
If you have decided to take this step, you have to reevaluate your company and come up with meaningful changes to the brand identity. An important aspect is to get to know your audience better. This is all about the people that are interacting with your company and how do you want to pe perceived by them. And while you probably want to appeal to a more diverse demographic through the rebranding process, be careful of not alienating the clients you already have, by making the company unrecognizable.
What should you consider? - Your mission - at the core of your brand should be the reason why you are doing what you do - How you are different from everyone else the branding’s purpose is to differentiate you from your competition, and you must say why the people should buy from you - Your logo - it is the visual element representanting your company and needs to be strong, easily recognized and must communicate on more than skin-deep level - Colors - humans connect colors to certain emotions and thoughts and it is good to carefully choose your colors after doing research for your demographic - How to implement your changes - living in the era of convergence and an increasingly competitive market, it helps being present on as many platforms as possible
Great REBRANDING examples
Worthy to start off the list, we have the amazing rebranding campaign lead by Burberry.
Other noteworthy examples
Going from being labeled as a thugish company to being viewed as a luxury label is a big deal. In 2006, Burberry rebranded itself, getting on board a number of high profile celebrities such as Emma Watson, Kate Moss and David Beckham’s son, Romeo.
- CVS Pharmacy - the first pharamcy chain to stop selling tobacco products even though they accounted to 4% of its sales. They changed their name to CVS Health from CVS Caremark, generated over 100 000 tweets and received a comment from the president
Apple. After being saved from bankrupcy by it’s former CEO, the company took to the skyes with the help of revolutionary advertisement. Steve Jobs came to the conclusion that simple is better, and the company changed across the years accordingly. Created to complement the sleek appearence of the products, it’s logo cast away colour, giving a more sophisticated look.
- Old Spice - through a series of smart advertising campaigns, the product that was labeled as for womans and old people, is now helping young adults smell like men. The company didn’t change it’s logo; instead, they used someone attractive, funny and young to create the perception they want to have among the customers - Monster - their promise to “find better”, is now being represented by a completely atypic logo: an animated flag with Monster written on it in capital, bold and confident letters. in every kind of print material, a still of the flag is hooked to the edge of the print material - Microsoft - being a bit slow in the advertisement departament, the company hasn’t changed it’s logo since 1987. In 2012, the company logo was redesigned and the public perception improved significantly
Brand / Antibrand Sequel / Prequel Self-negotiated project
Cassian Iordache U1560725 Art & Design, University of Huddersfield